


The Monster you Made Me

by brioche_equinox



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), M/M, SHEITH - Freeform, Transformation, change, imagine if keith started turning galra after he awoke his Blade, marmora - Freeform, team's reactions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-13 06:05:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11753613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brioche_equinox/pseuds/brioche_equinox
Summary: Nothing in the universe was ever designed to stay the same. We are all moving parts and we will break, we will falter, and we will change.But Keith never thought it would be like this.





	1. Chapter 1

“Change is imminent. Nothing in the universe was ever designed to stay the same.”

Allura was the one who told them that, back when they were scarcely more than strangers, acquainted by necessity, driven together by the unified sense of justice they all shared by- call it what you will. Fate. Destiny. A big mechanical blue cat, to paraphrase Hunk.

“Which is why we have a chance. We have a chance to change the universe and fight back against the Galran empire- because that is how the universe works. That is why Voltron can help us win this fight!”

For some reason, her words stuck with Keith. The sentiment, of course, followed them all, practically acting as the driving force behind every mission the carried out, every planet they liberated, every fleet of ships destroyed. But the phrase _change is imminent, and change is coming._ They resonated is his soul somehow, a lingering message, a lasting note that didn’t end.

Sure, change was part of life, no arguing there. Change had all but slapped all five of them in the face as soon as Lance clambered behind the controls of the blue lion and sent them ricocheting into space with scarcely a glance back. Change was all they’d known for months. 

But there was something before that, wasn’t there?

If Keith closed his eyes, he could sometimes still see the way _he_ used to be. The light of anticipation in his eyes, the curve of his lips, his gentle smile, his dark hair without a streak of white to be found.

But now…

There was something broken behind the smile Keith thought he knew so well. It was as if there was something else- _someone_ else lying beneath a thinly veiled disguise masquerading as Shiro.

Masquerading wasn’t the right word. He was still _Shiro._ No matter how many Galran-inflicted scars he bore, garish decorations on his limbs or webbed in his mind, nothing would change who he was. Shiro would always be Shiro. And Shiro would always be important. He wouldn’t set up explosives on Garrison property, break into a heavily guarded quarantine unit and commit assault for just anyone. And God knows he’d do that as many times as necessary.

At first, Keith had hardly been able to believe it. Shiro was back. Shiro was _here. Shiro,_ who he’d been told was missing and almost certainly dead due to his own error on Kerberos. He’d spent so long trying to deny what seemed like the irrefutable truth, he’d almost completely given up on any shred of hope on the night that escape pod came hurtling through the Earth’s atmosphere. The maelstrom of emotion that seeing Shiro’s face again brought on was overwhelming. Something like relief, but more, something so intoxicating and nauseating and immense it drowned out almost every sense except elation.

But it didn’t take long to realise that change had infiltrated every facet of who Shiro was.

It was childish of Keith to expect Shiro to be the same person he was when he left for Kerberos only a year earlier. He couldn’t expect months and months spent as a captive, systematically and physically torn to shreds and reassembled with a sickeningly cruel reminder of the experience in place of his right arm to have no effect on him. It would be selfish and insensitive for Keith to presume things could just go back to the way they were.

All the same, he couldn’t stop the small part of him that wished it could be that way.

The small, sad smile that Shiro scarcely showed now was a shadow of its former self. Ghosts of torture and resentment hid in the steely surface of his eyes. Hatred curled itself in his fists and hid in the creases of a battle-frenzied scowl.

The universe had brought them back together, but at what cost?

Keith didn’t say anything, least of all to Shiro's face. He didn’t remark that Shiro was any different than he'd ever been, and of course, the rest of the paladins didn't know how he used to be. At least, not like Keith did. If he said anything they’d think he was crazy. It was such a little thing- it shouldn’t bother him, it should be his job to step up and accept this new normal. Accept that things had changed and this was how things worked.

“Change isn’t always good though.”

Keith had waited to speak until everyone else had left the room and it was just him and Allura.

Initially she’d looked surprised at his response, as if she didn’t expect one of the paladins to try contradicting her.

“No,” she said slowly. “It’s not. If it weren’t for change, maybe the Galran empire would have never come into existence. If it weren’t for change, Altea might still be…” Allura closed her eyes, pain visibly flickering across her expression for a brief moment before he shook her head. “But dwelling on the past has no real benefit. Our only choice is to keep moving forwards. It is our duty to pre-empt what we must do and make a difference. We all have a heavy burden to bear.”

Keith scowled. That wasn’t quite the point he’d been trying to make.

“Is something the matter? Keith?”

“No. Nothing.”

People change. The universe moves. Instances are as fleeting as comets streaking across the endless star-speckled sky. Each moving part is barely worth more than the flicker of an eyelid, forgotten in the time it takes to draw breath.

And little did Keith know this was only the beginning.


	2. Chapter 2

“The only way this is possible…is if Galra blood runs through your veins.”

Those words felt sharper than the blade Keith clenched in his fist. They drove deep into his chest and burrowed into his chest, revelation burning between his ribs.

Galra.

Not human.

_Alien._

Keith fought to suppress a mad desire to laugh. The idea was so ridiculous it _had_ to be laughable. Really, Keith, an alien? He looked nothing like any kind of Galra he’d ever seen, and besides, he’d been born on Earth. As far as he could tell from the limited information he’d managed to get out of Allura and Coran, the Galra had never been there. Well…at least none had ever been _recorded_ there.

Keith felt his heart sink into the pits of his stomach like an anchor, his anxious gaze flickering from one masked face to the next and he knew this wasn’t a laughing matter.

His eyes met Shiro’s for a split second and his blood instantly ran cold— Shiro was staring at him in a state of what could only be complete and utter shock, mingled with bewilderment and…dare he say it? Fear? Dread?

Keith hastily averted his gaze. The blade in his grasp began to glow once again, the long curve shortening before their eyes until the light fizzled out and it had returned to the knife he was more accustomed to. He dropped his hand down to his side, not daring to make eye contact with anyone.

He didn’t say a word in the time it took to get back to the Red Lion and navigate their way out of the Blade of Marmora’s base with Kolivan and Antok. It was hard to believe he was capable of piloting the Lion at all after such a shock to his system, but it was just so…unbelievable, he couldn’t really comprehend it. It didn’t feel real.

This would make him some kind of human-Galra hybrid, probably the only one in existence. Then again, he didn’t even know that. There could easily be others like him out there somewhere. Honestly, even though he’d finally been given the answer as to where his knife had come from that he’d sought for so long, it had left him brimming with more questions than ever before. He kept glancing at his wrist, imagining the veins snaking beneath his armour, pounding with Galra blood.  How was he supposed to process this? How was he just supposed to accept it and move along, like it didn’t mean anything?

Kolivan hadn’t said anything else to Keith regarding his newfound heritage, so either he was hiding something, or maybe he just didn’t know.

Keith snuck a glance over his shoulder and felt his stomach turn at the sight of Shiro’s face. His brow was creased— with either worry or anger, he couldn’t tell— and his lips were pressed together, forming a taut line.

Anxiety formed a tight knot in Keith’s stomach as they emerged from the astral field of one of the black holes and Shiro leaned over the back of his seat to speak to Allura and hail their re-entry. At the sound of her voice Keith felt his stomach turn. Oh God, he had to tell them. He had to tell everyone what he was. How could he just waltz in like suddenly being a member of their greatest enemy didn’t change anything?  

His grip on the controls tightened as he brought the Red Lion to a halt in its hangar.  The rest of the team were already waiting as they landed, each looking immensely relieved. The moment they landed Kolivan and Antok both turned and swiftly made their way out of the cockpit, not even waiting for either of the Paladins. Keith scrambled up from his seat, opening his mouth to say something, but before he had the chance Shiro had already left his side and followed them without a word.

He didn’t even stop.

He couldn’t even _look_ at him.

Keith’s heart dipped lower in his chest as he reached around to the small of his back, fingering the hilt of the blade strapped into its sheath. He longed for something solid to grasp, some semblance of reality to grip whilst all he thought to be true was swept from beneath his feet, rushing away from him with the urgency of an outgoing tide.

This wasn’t like Shiro. He wouldn’t just _blank_ Keith like that— would he? He had always been the protective hand on his shoulder, the supportive words that coaxed away fear, the hand that gripped his in support when he needed it most. He wouldn’t just _walk away,_ not at a moment like this, not when Keith needed that reassurance more than ever…

But that was the Shiro he remembered. The Shiro before Kerberos. The Shiro he _had_ been, not the Shiro he was.

Keith shook his head and let his hand drop from the knife strapped to his waist and rested it against the Red Lion’s control panel, the familiar buzz of static instigating their connection tingling faintly within his palm.

“This…changes everything, doesn’t it?” he whispered. “Are you going to hate me too, Red?”

It was more of a question to himself rather to the lion, but all the same, some part of him vainly hoped to feel some vague sensation of comfort. He waited.

There was nothing.

He stormed out of the cockpit, fists clenched at his sides, trying to clear his head and not think of anything. He couldn’t stand the idea of his courage wavering or faltering in front of the rest of his team.

Keith joined the others just as Red lowered them to the ground and allowed the Paladins and Blades to exit. Kolivan strode across the hangar without an ounce of hesitation, Antok and Shiro following in his wake, and knelt before Allura, exchanging a few short words with her to establish their newfound allegiance.

Keith hesitated, lingering a second or two longer by Red, before he pulled his helmet off and reluctantly made his way over to join the rest. Shiro still didn’t look at him.

“So what took you guys so long?” Lance was saying. “You were gone for what, two quintants?”

Keith bristled.

“That’s just how long it took for the path to reopen,” he snapped.

Pidge peered at him, raising a disbelieving eyebrow. “What happened to your face?”

“Wh…what do you mean?”

“Dude, it looks like you got rocked in the face, like, pretty bad.” Hunk said.

Keith’s face burned as he felt all the eyes in the room turn on him simultaneously. He self-consciously grabbed a piece of his fringe and tugged it across his cheek in a vain attempt to hide the stinging bruise.

“You’re hurt?” Allura’s face hardened as she rounded on Kolivan, rage beginning to storm in her eyes. “What is the meaning of this? I thought we were forming an alliance.”

Keith folded his arms defensively. “Princess, it’s nothing—”

Kolivan didn’t appear fazed. “His injuries are received of his own accord. He was the one who persisted in completing the Trials of Marmora, we are not to be held accountable for his own mistakes.”

Lance, Pidge, Hunk and Coran exchanged bewildered looks.

Allura’s fierce expression did not waver. “Trials…? Mistakes? What are you talking about?”

“We do not have time to— ah. I see.” Kolivan’s gaze narrowed before sweeping across to Keith. “They know not of your heritage?”

“What heritage?”

“Keith? What’s he talking about?”

“What do you mean?”

Keith squeezed his eyes shut. This was going worse than he thought.

Antok’s voice rumbled from behind him. “Your teammate is of Galran descent.”

Yep. Definitely worse.

 “ _What?!”_

“No way,” Hunk was saying. “No way, Keith’s from Earth, like us, he’s human, right?”

“Keith.” Allura’s voice was hard and icy, piercing the clamour like a bullet.

Keith opened his eyes and peeked up at her apprehensively from beneath his lashes. He couldn’t read her expression, but it was just as unflinching at before, except now her lips were pulled tight in what he could only assume was bitterness, betrayal lining the creases of her scowl.

“Is this true?” she demanded.

Keith flinched. “I…I don’t know.”

“You don’t _know_?” Lance interjected. “How can you _not know_ —”

“Keith.”

It was the one voice he desperately wanted to hear above the rest, the one he’d hoped would have spoken up long before now, the one he _needed_ to hear from more than anything right now…

Keith looked up and saw Shiro finally, _finally_ looking at him, a mingled look of conflict and desolation lingering on his face that only made his heart sink lower.

“Keith, tell them what happened.”

Keith bit his lip, then, with a sigh, reached around to his back and unsheathed his knife, letting it glow and manifest itself into its new, awoken form. There was an audible gasp.

“Hey, didn’t Ulaz have a sword just like that?” Pidge asked. “He said something about it being a ceremonial— oh.” A look of comprehension dawned on her face. “ _That’s_ why you asked about it.”

“We all carry one.” Antok said, reaching over his shoulder and grasping the hilt of his own strapped across his back. “It’s a symbol of our organisation and only receptive to the touch of a Galra.”

“So that means—”

Keith let his arm hang limply at his side, staring at the blade for the first time in his life with contempt instead of curiosity.

“I’m one of them.”


End file.
